Egypt police detain Egyptian-German activist Philip Rizk, 26, is "passionate" about Gaza.
"We don't know where he is, and there is no formal charge," Rizk's sister said.
"We don't know where he is, and there is no formal charge," Rizk's sister said.
Egypt police detain Egyptian-German activist
Sat Feb 7, 2009 8:57am EST
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian police have detained an Egyptian-German political activist and blogger on Gaza Strip issues, his sister and an eyewitness said Saturday.
Philip Rizk, 26, a graduate student at the American University in Cairo, was detained by police Friday night while returning to Cairo from Qalyoubia, north of Cairo, his sister Jeanette told Reuters.
Rizk and a group of activists had been holding a march in the rural areas north of Cairo in solidarity with Palestinians and to raise awareness about the effects of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, according to Salma Said, an activist who was with Rizk when he was detained.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Interior said he had received no word of the detention.
Said said police had detained their vehicle for several hours and then said they wanted to talk with Rizk. They put him in a vehicle with no license plates and sped off. Other policemen then blocked the activists' vehicle to prevent them from following.
"We don't know where he is, and there is no formal charge," Rizk's sister said. She added that the German embassy had been notified and were attempting to locate him.
Rizk, who blogs at Tabula Gaza (
http://tabulagaza.blogspot.com) is "passionate" about Gaza and had recently completed most of the work on a short documentary about non-violent resistance to Israeli occupation, according to his sister.
She said that Rizk, who lived in Gaza for two years, had been helping get medicine into the coastal enclave that was recently the target of a 22-day Israeli offensive that left more than 1,300 Palestinians dead.
The Egyptian government contributes to the blockade of Gaza by refusing to open the Rafah crossing point without Israeli approval.
(Writing by Aziz El-Kaissouni; Editing by Matthew Jones)
© Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world.
Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
Sat Feb 7, 2009 8:57am EST
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian police have detained an Egyptian-German political activist and blogger on Gaza Strip issues, his sister and an eyewitness said Saturday.
Philip Rizk, 26, a graduate student at the American University in Cairo, was detained by police Friday night while returning to Cairo from Qalyoubia, north of Cairo, his sister Jeanette told Reuters.
Rizk and a group of activists had been holding a march in the rural areas north of Cairo in solidarity with Palestinians and to raise awareness about the effects of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, according to Salma Said, an activist who was with Rizk when he was detained.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Interior said he had received no word of the detention.
Said said police had detained their vehicle for several hours and then said they wanted to talk with Rizk. They put him in a vehicle with no license plates and sped off. Other policemen then blocked the activists' vehicle to prevent them from following.
"We don't know where he is, and there is no formal charge," Rizk's sister said. She added that the German embassy had been notified and were attempting to locate him.
Rizk, who blogs at Tabula Gaza (
http://tabulagaza.blogspot.com) is "passionate" about Gaza and had recently completed most of the work on a short documentary about non-violent resistance to Israeli occupation, according to his sister. She said that Rizk, who lived in Gaza for two years, had been helping get medicine into the coastal enclave that was recently the target of a 22-day Israeli offensive that left more than 1,300 Palestinians dead.
The Egyptian government contributes to the blockade of Gaza by refusing to open the Rafah crossing point without Israeli approval.
(Writing by Aziz El-Kaissouni; Editing by Matthew Jones)
© Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world.
Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
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Free Philip Rizk! - Call to Protest - Egyptian Embassy
10.02.2009 04:13
On February 6, 2009, Philip Rizk, a German-Egyptian activist and a graduate student at the American University in Cairo, was arrested north of Cairo while participating in a protest against the Rafah border closure into Gaza. Rizk, who blogs about relief work in Gaza at tabulagaza.blogspot.com, has been working to get medical and relief supplies into the Gaza Strip.
Philip Rizk was separated from his fellow protesters, placed in a van, and whisked away by Egypt’s Security police. Rizk has been detained and no information of his whereabouts has been released to his lawyers or family.
In the early morning of February 9, 2009, the security police came to the home of Philip’s parents and proceeded to search the house, without a warrant, for evidence against Philip. They attempted to take Philip’s father and threatened to search his office as well.
The Egyptian government is well-known for its torture of political detainees. Please join us in protesting Egypt’s repressive practices and preventing further detention of Philip Rizk:
- Call for the immediate and unconditional release of Philip Rizk
- Call for the release of any information regarding Philip Rizk’s whereabouts to his lawyers and family
- Call for the end to harsh treatment and lack of due process to political detainees in Egypt.
Phillip Rizk is an impeccable human being and humanitarian and he deserves to be treated with respect and dignity by the Egyptian authorities. This illegal abduction without charges and the harassment of his family is completely unacceptable.
Come to the protest at the Egyptian Embassy in London on Tuesday 10th February 2009 from 17:00 to 19:00.
Egyptian Embassy
26 South Street
London
W1K 1DW
John Ross